1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data format standardization, and more particularly, to data format standardization by which a data format of printing data for an image forming apparatus is standardized by setting a data format including page header information and page data information as a fixed data format in an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
Generally, an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a photocopier, a facsimile machine and a multi-functional product, is designed to print an image on a printable medium, such as a paper sheet on the basis of image information. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a typical image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with a printer engine 110, a storage medium 120, and one or more device modules 130 including a printer operating system (OS) 132, a buffer 134 and an interpreter 136 having a decoder 138 and a transfer module 140. A process of printing data in the typical image forming apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 1, is described below.
Printing data generated by a host 10 is transmitted to a printer operating system (OS) 132 through a printer driver (not shown). The printer OS 132 transfers the transmitted printing data to an interpreter 136, and the interpreter 136 analyzes and decodes, via a decoder 138, the transferred printing data. A printer engine 110 prints the decoded printing data transferred, via the transfer module 140, on a printable medium, such as a paper sheet.
The printer OS 132 may receive printing data generated by the host 10 or stored in a storage medium 120, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory.
The printer OS 132 may transfers printing data transmitted from the host 10 to the storage medium 120, and the storage medium 120 may store the transferred printing data. All of the printer OS 132, the interpreter 136, the storage medium 120, and the printer engine 110 may be included in an image forming apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 1.
However, a data format of printing data described by the printer driver (not shown), a data format of the printing data decoded by the interpreter 136, and a data format of the printing data stored in the storage medium 120 are different from each other. That is, to print data transmitted to the printer OS 132, a data format of printing data must be converted several times. In particular, a data format of printing data transmitted to the printer OS 132 must be converted by the interpreter 136, and a data format of printing data decoded by the interpreter 136 must be converted by the printer engine 110. When the printing data transmitted to the printer OS 132 is stored, the data format of the printing data must also be converted for storage.
Since the printer OS 132, the interpreter 136, and the printer engine 110, as shown, for example, in FIG. 1, vary according to a model and/or a maker of an image forming apparatus, the converted data formats vary even according to a model and/or a maker of an image forming apparatus.
Thus, when data is transmitted from a printer driver (not shown) of a host 10 to a printer OS 132, an interpreter 136, and a printer engine 210, and is printed using an image forming apparatus of a different model, the conventional image forming apparatus has an inconvenience in that a data format corresponding to the different model must be known in advance. Due to this inconvenience, it is difficult to share printing data generated by image forming apparatuses of different models and different makers.